Georgia
Florida plans to pressure Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton
Florida coach Billy Gonzales said his Gators are bringing energy to their preparation for their annual rivalry game with Georgia in the wake of Billy Napier’s firing on Sunday.
“They were excited about just getting on the field, getting back on the grass, and it went well,” said Gonzales, who has been promoted from receivers coach into the interim head coaching role.
“So, we’re obviously getting ready for this week’s game, and guys are working hard right now.”
Florida opened as a 7 1/2-point favorite, but the line has dipped to 7 points, an indication that the majority of the early money is being bet on the Gators in their 3:30 p.m. game against the No. 5-ranked Bulldogs on Saturday in Jacksonville.
Gonzales wasn’t shy about how Florida planned to attack Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton, who has led Georgia to a 6-1 start that’s including a 4-1 mark in SEC play.
It’s a Florida defense that sacked Texas quarterback Arch Manning six times in a 29-21 win over a Longhorns team that was ranked No. 9 at the time of the teams’ meeting, on Oct. 4.
“I’m looking at some of the stats, you know, we just got done talking about completion percentage, and looking at his last game (Stockton) was 26 of 31 for four touchdowns, so he does a great job of making great decisions,” Gonzales said at his press conference on Monday, referencing Stockton’s performance in his most recent outing, a 43-35 win over Ole Miss.
“The main thing is for us is to hopefully be able to cause some pressure to him, and to cause pressure means being able to coverage in the back end as well.”
Gonzales knows Stockton has plenty of help, too, starting with playmaking receiver Zachariah Branch, UGA’s clear No. 1 target with a team-high 35 receptions for 362 yards.
He’s extremely explosive …. watching him on film, he’s a guy that you can get the ball and he’s quick,” Gonzales said. “He’s got a great first step, accelerates from zero to five extremely fast. A playmaker. They’ve got a bunch on the perimeter.”
It will be the Bulldogs first game without receiver Colbie Young, who suffered a fractured leg on the opening series of UGA’s win over Ole Miss and is out indefinitely.
Georgia acquired Texas A&M transfer Noah Thomas through the transfer portal and he’s considered among the top options to replace Young as a perimeter threat, despite his relatively limited production (4 catches, 54 yards) to this point of the season.
Smart indicated the Bulldogs have several other options, including the usage of additional tight ends in various alignments.
“We know about their tight ends — they’ve had some good tight ends there,” Gonzales said.
“They’ve got some great athletes.”
Gonzales also noted how Georgia backs Chauncey Bowens and Nate Frazier are of similar size and production and run behind a big offensive line.
“They’ve got some playmakers on the perimeter,” Gonzales said, “but I know we’ve got some great players on the defensive side that are excited to go against them as well.”
Georgia
Man accused of raping University of Georgia student, police say
ATHENS, Ga. – A 19-year-old is facing assault-related charges after police said he raped a University of Georgia student early Saturday morning while she was walking home.
What we know:
Tydarius Wingfield of Athens allegedly approached the student in the area of 400 North Thomas Street just before 1:40 a.m. and asked to walk her home.
Wingfield and the victim did not know each other.
Wingfield then forced the woman behind a building where he sexually assaulted her, police said.
Investigators used the Real Time Crime Center’s camera system to see where the assault happened and track the victim and Wingfield’s movements. Officers continued tracking Wingfield until his arrest and positively identified him using the RTCC technology.
He is charged with rape, kidnapping, aggravated sexual battery and battery.
An investigation is ongoing.
What we don’t know:
It is unclear whether the victim was taken to the hospital after being attacked.
What you can do:
Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Detective Burgamy at Charles.Burgamy@accgov.com or 762-400-7173.
The Source: Information in this report comes from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department.
Georgia
Georgia’s Iranian community reacts to death of Ayatollah Khamenei
ATLANTA – As conflict intensifies between the United States, Israel and Iran, reactions are pouring in across the Atlanta metro area after President Donald Trump confirmed the death of Iran’s supreme leader.
The president confirmed on Truth Social that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint strike led by the U.S. and Israel.
What they’re saying:
“I have been waiting to hear this news for the last 20 years,” said Dr. Sasan Tavassoli, an Atlanta-based pastor born in Iran.
“Ayatollah Khamenei has been responsible for the killing of tens of thousands of Iranians over the last three decades. He has been a very evil dictator and a very oppressive tyrant.”
Other local Iranians, like Shohreh Mir, expressed a long-standing desire for internal change rather than outside intervention.
“This was an imposed war,” Mir said. “We still very much would like for Iranian people to change the regime by themselves.”
What’s next:
Tavassoli said the Ayatollah’s death now creates a new issue.
“Ayatollah Khamenei never invested in raising a succession after himself,” he said, “so the crisis of the Iranian revolution and the Iranian regime is there is no legitimate successor.”
While the long-term duration of the conflict remains unknown, Iran has already begun launching retaliatory strikes following the attack.
“This is a huge development for day one, but the war is not over,” Tavassoli noted. “There are still many ways that things can become even more bloody and destructive in the coming days and weeks.”
The Source: Information in this article came from FOX 5’s Rey Llerena speaking with Iranian Americans across Georgia.
Georgia
Body found near Georgia Power dam on Radium Springs Road in Albany
ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – A person was found dead in the 5200 block of Radium Springs Road on Saturday morning, according to Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler.
Fowler said the call came in as a water rescue. The body was recovered early Saturday, Feb. 28.
The coroner confirmed the person found was male. His identity and age remain unknown.
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